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January 31, 2006
George Jackson
202/393-4275
gjackson@aft.org
Statement by Edward J. McElroy, President, American Federation of Teachers,
On Termination of 8,500 New Orleans Public School Employees
WASHINGTON, D.C. — We strongly oppose the plan to terminate today the employees of New Orleans Public Schools who survived Hurricane Katrina. The liquidation of teachers and other school personnel leaves the parents and children of New Orleans without a reliable source of qualified educators to reconstitute the New Orleans public school system. Worse, taking away jobs from 8,500 workers only adds to the dire social and economic situation of a region that is struggling to rebuild.
We urge the school district to immediately reopen negotiations with the representatives of the United Teachers of New Orleans to consider alternatives to the draconian plan they intend to execute on Jan. 31.
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The AFT represents 1.3 million pre-K through 12th-grade teachers, paraprofessionals and other school support employees, higher education faculty, nurses and other healthcare workers, and state and local government employees.
